by MICHAEL MACKLIN
NORTH ANDOVER, Massachusetts – While the eyes of the international golf world were focused on the Open Championship at Royal Portrush golf links in Northern Ireland on Sunday, the members at North Andover Country Club were preoccupied with another competition taking place at their little club 30 miles north of Boston.
While world number one Scottie Scheffler outplayed the rest of the game’s best to win The Claret Jug, a 16-year- old by the name of Tyler Fawaz handily tamed the 9-hole Donald Ross course on the shore of Lake Cochichewick to win the 2025 NACC Men’s Club Championship in historic fashion.
After turning in an even-par 69 on day one of the two-day competition, Fawaz sealed the deal and wrote himself into club history with a 3-under-par 66 in Sunday’s second and final round.
What started out as a close contest soon turned into a runaway. The soon-to-be junior at North Andover High School and member of the school’s golf team recorded four straight birdies on holes 5-8 and never looked back.
Fawaz turned in a two-day score of 69-66 for a 135 total, tying the all-time record low score for the event at the club founded in 1897.
While records from the club’s early years are nowhere to be found, it’s believed Fawaz, at 16, is also the club’s youngest-ever champion.
“It means a lot”, said Fawaz, while clutching the winner’s trophy following the awards ceremony on the club’s patio, “especially here in front of people I’ve known my whole life. It’s pretty awesome.”
Cooper Mohr, another of the club’s talented junior golfers and last year’s champion turned in a valiant title defense only to finish a distant second to Fawaz.
No one was prouder of Tyler’s performance than his father, Todd Fawaz, an investment advisor with City of London Investment Management Company, Ltd. and form NACC Club President.
“He (Tyler) first held a plastic golf club as a one or two-year old, he’s the hardest working kid you’ll find. He’s my guy, I love him” said the elder Fawaz.
An accomplished golfer in his own right Todd is a -12 handicap who instilled the competitive golf spirit early on in his two sons, Tyler and Logan.
Logan, the younger of the brothers, sports a 9 handicap while Tyler clocks in with a +1 cap. After compiling his gross score Tyler has to add a stroke to post his net score in competition.
The brothers grew up competing mano-a-mano on the links at North Andover CC. Logan will join Tyler on the golf team at North Andover High School, the team coached by NACC’s Director of Golf, Matt Lombard.
“He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen,” said Lombard. “He practices almost every day with a very determined mindset. His composure on the golf course is unbelievable. His short game and putting stand out.”
Tyler has played competitive golf since age 14, when he first competed in the NACC Mens Club Championsnip.
Fawaz’ stellar performance had club members clustered on tees and greens, lining fairways to watch his amazing play.
Winning the club championship caps a stellar golf year for Fawaz, whose teammates elected him to be the team’s captain next season, when Fawaz will be a junior.
After his son held the crystal championship trophy aloft on the clubhouse patio, dad and his posse of pals repaired to the club’s bar to hoist a few celebratory beers, on Todd’s tab of course. While he has hole-in-one insurance to take care of setting up the bar in the unlikely occurrence of an ace, he had no policy protecting him in the event his kid won the club title. That’s insurance Todd is no doubt looking into now as it would seem more club titles are likely in Tyler’s future.
(Michael Macklin is a longtime Boston-based broadcast journalist currently with WBZ-iHeart Media. He can be reached at macklinmichaele@aol.com)
https://www.northandovercc.com/
